Rangoli Art with Ranjana
This Rangoli art video created for us at Headstone Manor & Museum was designed by Harrow resident, Ranjana Patel, for our online exhibition on Diwali in Harrow.
Derived from the Sanskrit word rangavalli, the word translates to mean “rows of colours”. Rangoli is usually made around special occasions like Diwali and weddings. Each design incorporates a range of designs symbolising various traditions according to different regions or purpose. For example, special patterns for Diwali include diyas (candles), birds, flowers as well as images of Ganesha and Lakshmi. Designs have passed down over generations in order to keep this art alive but today we see contemporary designs incorporated into traditional ones.
Creating a Rangoli during festivities like Diwali is thought to bring good luck to those celebrating. Traditionally it is carried out by women. Rangoli can be made with various materials such as sand, flour, rice, grains and/or flower petals, coloured with natural materials to produce a colourful design.
“I love the meditative effect of rangoli’s – it’s mesmerising not just to create but to also watch the process as well as appreciate the finished creation. To me, this beautiful, yet transient nature of rangoli, means happiness in the moment, a new opportunity, a brand-new beginning and hope for the future and indeed this is what we wish each other during Diwali and special occasions in our lives.”
To find out more about Ranjana and to discover her work please follow here via social media @ RanjanaCreates
Diwali Recipe Book
We are so excited to share with you our Diwali inspired recipe book featuring 15 recipes from food lovers to food businesses in Harrow. With the support from Mental Wealth, we gathered recipes from the community in the hope to provide inspiration during the festival and a ray of light during these difficult times. We have also featured a few of our own museum objects which have sparked the creation of some of the recipes in this book too!
Cooking in Harrow!
To mark Diwali this year, we asked two food vloggers to share their favourite recipes with us! We are so excited to share tasty Diwali – inspired recipes from Premila’s Veggie Recipes and Cardamom Kitchen, both residents of Harrow.
You can find out more about both vloggers on Instagram!
@premilas_veggie_recipes
@cardamomkitch
Diwali Storytime – For Kids!
Join Sunita Shah, author of The Jai Jais, as she reads her book on Diwali. We are delighted to have acquired three children’s books from The Jai Jais series into our permanent collection. To find out more visit the site here
Happening Elsewhere in Harrow
Celebrating Diwali at Home – Photo Competiton!